Tethered helicopter top



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TETHERED HELICOPTER TOP 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 17, 1948 Patented June 23, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,642,698 I TETHERED HELICOPTER TOP Edward w. Fishburne, Chicago, Ill.

Application May 17, 1948, Serial No. 27,431.

This invention relates to a toy helicopter or the like comprising a simulated airplane fuselage with a helicopter upright propeller rotatable in a horizontal plane above-the fuselage and operating means for rotating the propeller including a suspending cord which passes through a vertical tubular shaft for the propeller to operating means therefor within thefuselage.

In addition to the above, as the primary pur pose of the invention, the invention has for a further object to provide a simple operating means comprisinga spring returned rotatable drum upon which the operating cord is rewound through the action of the spring and a driving connection between the drum and propeller shaft including a flywheel or the likehaving a geared drive with the propeller shaft whereby the propeller will be rotated by the turning of the flywheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a one-way clutch between the drum and flywheel whereby the operating cord may be rewound on the drum while the-flywheel and propeller continue to rotate. Thus by an up and down movement of the upper free end of the operating cord the toy helicopter may be suspended and its propeller caused to turn and a turning movement of the assembly on the cord is also effected with a pleasing operation of the assembly. In the absence of the one way clutch rotation of the propeller may be had by a direct connectionbetween the drum and flywheel directly following the turning movements of the drum, thereby providing an assembly which is lessexpensive to pro-- dues and yet having movements similar to the assembly with a clutch and also reverse rotation of the propeller.

It will be seen that the operating mechanism is most simple for rotating propellers attached to upright tubular shafts of a toy helicopter, rotating wheels, disks and the like in a horizontal plane attached to other simulating bodies.

Other objects and details of highly satisfactory embodiments of my invention will appear in the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming apart thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a toy helicopter emhodiment of my invention with a portion broken away to show the propeller operating mechanism. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof taken on line 3-3 of Fig, 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken'on line 4-4 of Fig. l. v

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4. p

, Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. Land i Fig. '7 is a transverse sectional view similar to Fig. 6, but illustrating a modified form of drive for the helicopter propeller. v

Referring to the drawings, in general the toy helicopter in accordance with my inventioncom' prises a body portion 10, constructed of a top member ll, of wood or plastic with sides l2 and a front end 13 of thin material such as aluminum and a similar tail [.4 mounted on a pa'ir of wheels 15 and fantastically simulating an airplane fuselage and equipment. The top H carries a dome V shaped mounting 16 providing an upper bearing for an upright tubular propellershaft I I on which a hub IB is mounted carrying a propeller comprising three blades [9 the ends 20 of which are mounted in sockets formed in hub I8 and secured therein by appropriate pins 20a. Within the fuselage is a frame structure 2| preferably of rectangularv conformation supported by the under side of top vll by a bracket frame structure 2 Iasoas to extend lengthwise of the fuselage interior and providing a support and end bearings for a drive shaft 22. The upper portion of bracket frame structure Zia provides a lower bearing for propeller, shaft H and a support therefor, engaged by a collar or the like im on the shaft, and the upper end of a pinion. gear 30, below bracket 2m, with this collar, prevents axial movementv of the shaft. Shaft 22 provides a journal for a drum 23 in direct alignment under the tubular propeller shaft I1 which affords a passageway for an operating cord 24 normally fully wound on the drum with its outer end secured to a ring 25 which prevents it from being drawn entirely through shaft l1 and provides a, handle for manipulating the toy. A helically wound spring 26 surrounding drive shaft 22 having one end secured to a pin 21 to the flange 23a of the drum 23 and its other end 28 secured by engagement with a side of frame structure 2| affords a tension on drum 23 for winding operating cord 24 .on drum 23, which is loose on drive shaft 22, to

hold it in its proper operating position on drive shaft 22 with respect to a gear drive wheel 29 on 3. the shaft adjacent to propeller shaft ll. wheel 29 is preferably rather heavy, providing a flywheel, which is secured to shaft 22 to rotate therewith.

In a simplified construction of my toy helicopter, drum 23a may be secured directly to wheel 29a or formed integrally therewith as shown in Fig. 7. In either case the wheel 29 or 29a, has laterally extending peripheral gear teeth which drivingly engage the pinion gear 30 on the lower end of tubular propeller shaft I! so as to rotate the same in accordance with the wheel 29 or 29a in turning.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. '7, wheel 29a is subject to rotation in either direction following the rotation of drum 23a and the propeller blades will rotate accordingly. However, in the preferred arrangement as shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 6 where drum 23 rotates on the drive shaft 22, drum 23 is provided with a clutch 3| engageable with the inner cylindrical surface 32 of the rim 33 of wheel 29 engageable therewith for rotating the wheel in one direction when the operating cord is drawn from the drum and releasing therefrom to permit drum 23 to rewind the operating cord.

Clutch 3| comprises a plurality, three being shown, of arms 34 having their inner ends mounted on pivot bearings 35 carried by the flange 23b of drum 23 facing wheel 29, and extending therefrom angularly with respect to radial lines of wheel 29. The outer ends 36 of these arms are of arcuate formation for engaging the inner cylindrical surface 32 of the rim of wheel 29. Springs 3! bearing between the inner ends of arms 34 and under sides of the next adjacent arms respectively yieldingly maintain the arcuate ends 36 thereof in engagement with the cylindrical clutch surface 32 of wheel 29. It will be seen that when operating cord 24 is drawn to rotate drum 23 the ends 36 of arms 34 will be forced into tight engagement with the surface 32 of wheel 29 and cause it to rotate with the drum but when drum spring 26 operates drum 23 to rewind cord 24 the engagement of ends 38 of these arms with the clutch surface of wheel 29 is released and they slide with respect thereto when the drum is rotated in the direction opposite to that in which the flywheel 29 is rotating.

In this way flywheel 29, the parts driven thereby, and the helicopter propeller may be continuously rotated, giving the operating cord 24 a series of up and down movements, rather quickly in the down movements, the flywheel 29 being maintained in continuous rotation. This operation effects a continuous rotation of the heli- Drive copter propeller and rather interesting resultant relatively slow turning movements of the entire toy helicopter with respect to the operating cord on which it is suspended.

Having described a highly satisfactory embodiment of my invention in the form of a toy helicopter it is not desired to limit the scope of my invention to the exact embodiment or details as set forth.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In a toy helicopter, a hollow body, a hollow shaft rising from within said body, a propeller mounted on the upper end of said shaft, a pinion mounted on the lower end of said shaft within the body, a second shaft journalled horizontally within said body, a flywheel keyed on said second shaft, an annular flange on one side of said flywheel and having its free edge toothed and engaged with said pinion, a drum loosely mounted on said second shaft and including end flanges, a series of clutch arms pivoted on the outer side of one of the flanges of said drum for cooperation with the inner surface of the flange of said flywheel so transmit motion from said second shaft to said hollow shaft and the propeller, retractile springs interconnecting said clutch arms to normally hold the same lightly in engagement with the flange of said flywheel, a coil spring on said second shaft having one end secured to said body and its other end secured to the other of the flanges of said drum, a cord normally wound on said drum and having one end attached thereto and its other end passing upwardly through said hollow shaft, and means at the free end of said cord facilitating holding the cord to suspend the helicopter so that its weight will act to cause the cord to unwind from said drum and, at the same time, to place said coil spring under tension to affect the rewinding of the cord on the drum.

EDWARD W. FISHBUR-NE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 394,085 Summers Dec. 4, 1888 1,166,205 Heaslet Dec. 28, 1915 1,928,154 Hojnowski Sept. 26, 1933 1,930,450 Langos Oct. 10, 1933 1,959,280 Timbs May 15, 193 1 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 558,615 Germany Aug. 25, 1932 572,858 Germany Mar. 2, 1933 764,546 France Mar. 5, 1934 

